May 29, 2025

The following is a press release:

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 27 May held its first meetings with local and regional politicians from Albania, Kosovo, and Moldova in enhanced formats intended to accelerate preparations for accession to the European Union.

The establishment of new bodies means that contacts between mayors and councillors from the EU and from Albania, Kosovo, and Moldova will become more structured and will have an agenda closely aligned with partner countries' efforts and challenges to implement EU legislation on their path towards EU membership. These new bodies complement the existing CoR statutory bodies dealing with enlargement countries.

The meetings formed part of the annual Enlargement Day conference organised by the European Committee of the Regions.

The CoR formally upgraded its dialogue with Albania to a Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), establishing a fixed membership on both the EU and Albanian side and a structured work programme for biannual meetings.

It has also created dedicated working groups for Kosovo and Moldova. These will also meet twice a year, under newly established work programmes.

Common issues for cooperation across all CoR bodies dealing with the enlargement countries will be democracy and the rule of law, cross-border cooperation, and local economic development. Each of the meetings on 27 May reviewed local and regional preparations for EU membership, and addressed specific local ‘green’ challenges – climate adaptation in the case of Albania, environmental degradation in Kosovo, and the energy transition for Moldova.

The chairs of the JCC Albania and Working Groups on Kosovo and Moldova described the enhanced collaboration as a significant step towards deeper integration and more effective preparation for EU accession, ensuring that local and regional voices will be heard at the EU level and helping local communities to seize the opportunities offered by EU integration.

The CoR has also decided to establish a Working Group on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its inaugural meeting will take place later this year.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

Quotes:

Antonio Mazzeo (IT/PES), president of the Regional Council of Tuscany and co-chair of the Joint Consultative Committee with Albania: "This Joint Consultative Committee demonstrates that the connection between territories is the most genuine and strongest driver of the European project. In this Committee, Albania and the EU sit at the same table, as equals. And as equals, they will build common solutions on issues that affect people’s daily lives: climate, spatial planning, public services, and sustainability. This is the Europe of regions becoming real. It is the diplomacy of local cooperation advancing."

Gillian Coughlan (IE/Renew Europe), member of Cork County Council and chair of the Working Group on Kosovo: "Local leadership can heal division. As former Mayor of Cork County I’ve seen it in Ireland’s journey from conflict to peace. Mayors became symbols of unity, building trust through shared purpose and peace from the ground up. The challenges in Kosovo are real, but so is the power to heal and lead ahead. Let’s stand together, lead calmly, and prove that peace built locally is peace that lasts for generations."

Mariana Gâju (RO/PES), mayor of Cumpăna and chair of the Working Group on Moldova: "I am honoured to be elected Chair of the CoR Working Group with Moldova and I am looking forward to an intensified cooperation on a local level. It is mayors, councillors and local administrations that are responsible for the major challenges of accession on the ground: decentralisation, good governance, alignment with the Acquis Communautaire. Moldova is not just a candidate country but a European nation, which holds the hope of future generations."

Background:

Enlargement Day: Visit the conference webpage for the agendas of each meeting. Recordings are available here on the website of the European Committee of the Regions.

Contact

Andrew Gardner

Tel: +32 473 843 981

andrew.gardner@cor.europa.eu